Bibliography of reports arising out of meetings held by international organizations.

Phytoplankton blooms, micro-algal blooms, toxic algae, red tides, or harmful algae, are all terms for naturally occurring phenomena that have occurred throughout recorded history. About 300 hundred species of micro algae are reported at times to form mass occurrence, so called blooms. Nearly one fourth of these species are known to produce toxins. Even non-toxic algal blooms can have devastating impacts when they lead to kills of fish and invertebrates by generating anoxic conditions. Some algal species, although non-toxic to humans, can produce exudates that can cause damage to the delicate gill tissues of fish (raphidophytes Chattonella, Heterosigma, and dinoflagellates Karenia, Karlodinium) . Aquatic animals can suffer devastating mortalities, which could lead economical and food losses, and eventually became a food security problem. Of greatest concern to humans are algal species that produce potent neurotoxins that can find their way through shellfish and fish to human consumers where they evoke a variety of gastrointestinal and neurological illnesses (paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP), amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP), diarrhoeic shellfish poisoning (DSP), neurotoxic shellfish poisoning (NSP), azaspiracid shellfish poisoning (AZP) and ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP)). Worldwide, ciguatoxins are estimated to cause around 50 000 cases of ciguatera fish poisoning annually; neurological effects may last for weeks or even years and one percent of these cases are fatal . Climate change and costal water over enrichment create an enabling environment for harmful algal blooms, which seem to have become more frequent, more intense and more widespread in the past decades.

Unique in its broad range of coverage, Food Carbohydrates: Chemistry, Physical Properties and Applications is a comprehensive, single-source reference on the science of food carbohydrates. This text goes beyond explaining the basics of food carbohydrates by emphasizing principles and techniques and their practical application in quality control, pr

The material presented in this book deals with basic mechanisms of free radical reactions in autoxidation processes and anitoxidant suppression of autoxidation of foods, biochemical models and biologi cal systems. Autoxidation in foods and corresponding biological effects are usually approached separately although recent mechanistic developments in the biochemistry and free radical chemistry of per oxides and their precursors tend to bring these two fields closer. Apparent ability of antioxidants in diets to reduce the inci dence of cancer has resulted in scrutiny of autoxidized products and their precursors as possibly toxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic agents. Mechanisms of any of these effects have been barely ad dressed. Yet we know now that free radicals, as esoteric as they were only a few decades ago, are being discovered in foods, biochem ical and biological systems and do play a role in the above-mentioned causalities. The purpose of the Workshop and the resulting book was to give a unifying approach towards study of beneficial and deleterious effects of autoxidation, based on rigorous scientific considerations. It is our hope that the material presented in this book will not only provide a review of the "state of the art" of autoxidation and anti oxidants, but also reflect the interaction which occurred during the Workshop between workers using model sytems, and food and biological systems.

Vinegars can be considered as acidic products of special importance for the enri- ment of our diet, and resulting from the desired or controlled oxidation of ethanol containing (liquid) substrates. The traditional use and integration of vinegars in numerous cultures can be traced back to ancient times. In fact, the cultural heritage of virtually every civilization includes one or more vinegars made by the souring action (of micro-organisms) following alcoholic fermentation. It has been do- mented that the Egyptians, Sumerians and Babylonians had experience and tech- cal knowledge in making vinegar from barley and any kind of fruit. Vinegar was very popular both in ancient Greece and Rome, where it was used in food prepa- tions and as remedy against a great number of diseases. In Asia, the first records about vinegar date back to the Zhou Dynasty (1027-221 BC) and probably China’s ancient rice wines may have originally been derived from fruit, for which (malted) rice was substituted later. The historical and geographical success of vinegars is mainly due to the low technology required for their production, and to the fact that several kinds of raw materials rich in sugars may easily be processed to give vinegar. In addition, vi- gars are well-known and accepted as safe and stable commodities that can be c- sumed as beverages, health drinks or added to food as preservatives or as flavo- ing agents.